Someone Like You (22 page)

“You lied to me,” she said, sure she was practically
spouting steam. “You said you were here on vacation. You said you
liked
the town.”

He looked genuinely baffled. “I do. Very much.”

“You set up gambling,” she yelled. “You brought organized crime to my town, and nobody does that and gets away with it.”

He smiled. “Jill, honey. Calm down. You don't even like being here.”

“So? This may not be my idea of paradise, but you don't have the right to screw with people's lives. How could you do this?”

He frowned. “A couple of card games don't hurt any one.”

“They're against the law.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

She couldn't believe it. “I…you…” Okay, so speaking had just become impossible.

Rudy put his arm around her. “You're taking this way too hard, Jill. I was having a little fun with your boyfriend. I knew the gambling would piss him off. That's all. I didn't mean anything by it.”

Her boyfriend?

“You leave Mac out of it.”

“Sure. Whatever you say. We're practically family. I don't want you to be upset. Hey, if you don't want to have gambling here, then it's gone.”

Her mind swirled with too much information. There was only one way they could be “practically family” and she didn't want to think about that.

“I don't just want the gambling gone, I want you gone.”

His friendly expression hardened. “That's not a choice you get to make. I like it here and I'm not leaving.”

Damn him, she thought. She had no way to make him.

“Then just stay away from my aunt.”

“Bev's more than capable to make her own decisions.” He stepped toward her. “What's going on, Jill? We've always been friends.”

Had they? Had she really allowed herself to be friends with someone like him?

“We're not friends and I don't work for you. In fact, I don't want to have anything to do with you ever again. So leave your business where it is. I'm sure you and Lyle will be very happy together—you're both exactly the same.”

She pushed through the metal doors back into the now-empty meeting room and walked out. Why had it taken her so long to see the truth about Rudy? Worse, he was already in the town and in her aunt's life. However was she going to get him out?

 

“I'
M SORRY TO BE RIGHT,
but there we are,” Hollis said as he laced his fingers together and rested his hands on his desk.

Mac had to gather every single ounce of self-control to stay calmly seated in his chair.

“I'm not sure what the sequence is,” Hollis continued. “Do violent men with short tempers get drawn to law enforcement, or does the profession change them once they're ensconced?” He paused expectantly.

“I'm the last guy to have an opinion,” Mac said dryly.

“Yes, of course. You served in the military first, didn't you?”

“Let me guess. You think they breed violence and abuse, as well.”

“Military institutions don't help.”

Mac looked Hollis over. He took in the slight build, the glasses, the air of prissy nerdishness that practically screamed “come bully me.”

“You had a hell of a time when you were a kid, didn't you?” Mac asked. “I'll bet you couldn't go twenty-four hours without someone beating the crap out of you.”

Hollis stiffened. “You couldn't be more wrong. I had a very supportive and loving childhood.”

“Probably at home, but school was another story. You're the guy I spent my high school years beating up and that's what really pisses you off.”

Hollis pushed up his glasses. “I find it interesting that your history of violence started so young.”

“I'm sure you do.” Mac leaned forward and put his hands flat on the other man's desk. “Here's the thing, Hollis. I don't care what you think of me. I do care about my daughter and I will fight you to the ends of the earth to keep her.”

“You should have thought of that before you assaulted Mr. Murphy.”

“You're right,” Mac said. “I should have. And while we're assigning blame, where the hell were you?”

Hollis blinked at him. “What do you mean?”

“Just what I said. Where were you? Where was the
social services department while Andy Murphy used his wife as a punching bag? Why aren't you out there lecturing to him on the pitfalls of violence? How dare you sit in your office while that man breaks bones in his pregnant wife?”

“We can't—”

“You can't what?” Mac asked, interrupting. “Get involved? Care? When does it become your job? Because we both know what's going to happen. Andy shows a clear pattern of escalation, which means this is going to get worse until someone gets killed. What are the odds of it being him? I'm going with less than ten percent. I think it's going to be his wife or his kid in the morgue. You're going to sit here with your rules and regulations and do nothing. How does that make you right?”

Hollis stared at him for several seconds, then pulled out a file. “After your preliminary hearing, I'll be sending a letter to the judge in the custody case. Should you be charged, you will, of course, lose custody of Emily.”

Mac stood. “As always, your understanding is what keeps me going.”

He turned and left the room.

Anger bubbled inside of him. There had to be a solution. There had to be a way out. Dammit all to hell. Yet even as he searched for an answer, he knew he'd brought this on himself and he only had one person to blame. There had to be—

Mac stepped out of the building only to find Rudy Casaccio standing next to the patrol car.

“Afternoon, Mac,” he said. “How did your meeting go?”

“You don't want to talk to me right now.”

“That's where you're wrong,” Rudy said easily. “I do want to talk to you and I think you want to listen.”

Mac started to unlock his car door, but Rudy stepped in the way.

“Hear me out. You have something I want and I have something you want.”

For one horrifying second, Mac thought Rudy had taken Em. All the blood rushed from his head. Fury turned the world red.

“You're making life difficult for me,” Rudy said, as if he were unaware of Mac's reaction. “I'd like you to get off my back. In return, I can make Hollis Bass disappear.” He chuckled. “Not literally, of course.”

Rational thought returned. This wasn't about his daughter—at least not directly. He realized he'd automatically grabbed for his gun. Now he relaxed his hand and let it fall back to his side.

Mac tossed his keys into the air, then caught them. “Let me get this straight. You want the freedom to bring organized crime to Los Lobos and in return you'll make sure the social worker gets off my back.”

“We're talking about a little gambling, some number running, nothing big. No drugs. I don't approve of drugs.”

Mac supposed that everyone needed standards.

“You're in trouble, Mac,” Rudy said. “Hollis doesn't approve of you.”

Mac didn't ask how he knew. Rudy's business was all about having the right information at the right time.

“No deal,” he said as he unlocked his patrol car.

“You're in a tough place. You have to know that.”

Mac knew exactly where he was. He could lose Emily forever.

“Aren't you even a little tempted?” Rudy asked.

More than a little, Mac thought honestly. He would do just about anything to prevent that from happening, but he wouldn't sell his soul.

“I'm not interested in anything you have to offer,” Mac said, and closed the door.

 

“S
O HOW ARE THINGS
?”

Jill clutched the phone tighter and wasn't sure if she should laugh or cry. “To be honest, Dad, I don't have a clue as to how to answer the question.”

“Just start at the beginning and go slow. I'm getting old and I'm not as sharp as I used to be.”

That made her laugh. “Yeah, right. That's why you're running everyone's life from three thousand miles away.”

“Whose life am I running?”

“Mine. Mac's.” She was sure there were more but she didn't know their names.

“Okay, so I've offered a little input now and then.”

Jill thought about how her dad had twice saved Mac. “You're a good man and I love you.”

“I love you, too, sweetie. Now what's going on?”

She drew in a deep breath. “My secretary, Tina, used to hate me but now she's taken down all the fish
so that's cool, but some of my cases are hideous. I mean dog sperm? What's up with that? And I have Lyle's car and I'm trying to get someone to dent it, but nothing is happening to it. I swear it's been protected by Gypsies or something. Then there's Bev, who is dating a guy. I really like that because the gift thing was never real, except the guy is a former client of mine and while I al ways knew he was sort of in organized crime, I never dealt with any of that and somehow I convinced myself he was one of the good guys only he's not. And now I have to tell her and I don't want to. Plus Mac's in trouble. He pounded this guy who totally deserved it—Andy beats his wife and she's pregnant and it's horrible—but now Mac's going to be charged and as soon as that happens he'll lose Emily. And I've been going on job interviews and I have a great offer from a firm in San Diego and I should take it because that's what I want to do with my life, but I can't seem to pick up the phone and say yes and what's up with that. Oh, and the pier centennial is next week.”

“Sounds like a good time for a visit,” her father said calmly.

“You want to come here now?”

“I wouldn't miss it for the world.”

J
ILL WAS SURPRISED
to see the front door open when she pulled up at Bev's house. As she climbed the stairs, her aunt appeared in the doorway and pushed open the screen.

“Hi. I'm back. We had the most amazing time. San Francisco is beautiful. I can certainly see why you've enjoyed living there.”

As Bev spoke, she stepped back to let Jill into the house. Jill followed, not sure how she was going to keep her mouth from falling open. Bev wore tailored white slacks and a trim lightweight sleeveless turquoise sweater. Delicate gold earrings hung from her ears. Gone were the gaudy dangling beads, gone was the ever-present floral-print dress, the multiple bangles and ankle bracelet. Most shocking of all, her long wild red hair had been cut short and styled in such a way as to emphasize her pretty features.

“You look great,” Jill said, not quite able to believe the transformation.

“Not so bohemian?”

“Not even close. What happened?”

Bev smiled. “I decided it was time to grow up.”

Jill's delight evaporated like water in the Sahara.
“This is all because of Rudy,” she said flatly. “You're in love with him.”

Bev beamed. “I know it's very fast and you probably think I'm too old, but I have fallen for him completely. He's funny and charming and he makes me feel so incredibly special and feminine. We had the most wonderful time.”

Jill felt as if she were about to kick a very cheerful puppy. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen her aunt this happy. To think she'd finally found the right guy, only he wasn't right. He was a criminal, possibly a murderer, and there was no way Jill could let this hap pen.

“We have to talk,” she said, taking her aunt by the hand and leading her to the sofa in the living room.

When they were seated next to each other, Jill drew in a deep breath. “You know that I love you. I barely remember my mother. You were always there for me, including a few weeks ago when I had nowhere to go.”

Bev smiled. “Jill, honey, this isn't necessary. Of course I know how you feel. You mean the world to me.”

“Then please believe me when I tell you I'm so sorry to have to be the one to tell you this. Rudy really is in the Mafia. It's not a game or an affectation. He's bringing organized crime to town and he has to be stopped.”

Bev stared at her. “What are you talking about?”

Jill explained about the gambling.

Bev dismissed the information with the flick of hand. “He told me about that. It wasn't him at all. There are some other people responsible.”

Jill sprang to her feet. “You can't believe that. He's the one. He claims to like the town, but he's only interested in making trouble. I've told him I won't have any thing to do with him anymore.”

Bev stood as well. “Then we have a serious problem, because I intend to marry him. If you can't accept the man I love, then you're not the person I thought you were.”

This couldn't be happening. “You have to see—”

Her aunt cut her off. “I see a lot of things, including a young woman who is too stubborn for her own good. I'm sorry your marriage didn't work out, but that's no reason to be bitter about my happiness. I thought you were a better person than that.”

Jill winced at the accusation. “I'm not bitter. I want you to be happy, just not with Rudy.”

Bev walked out of the room. In the hallway, she glanced over her shoulder. “I've been waiting for Rudy all my life. No one is going to stand in the way of that, not even you.”

 

“O
KAY, WHAT'S UP
?” Mac asked three evenings later. They sat on his back porch in the quiet of the night.

Jill leaned against him and squeezed her eyes shut. “I'm fine,” she whispered.

“You're a lousy liar.”

“I know.”

He put his arm around her and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Emily and her friend Ashley were in the living room watching a movie together. The evening was cool and still with a thousand stars overhead. With Jill
next to him and the promise of her in his bed later that night, he could almost forget all the hell in his life.

“So tell me,” he said.

“When I came back, the only problem I had was getting a new job and taking revenge on Lyle. Now those things seem so unimportant. My aunt isn't speaking to me, you're facing a preliminary hearing in less than a week, my father arrives tomorrow and I don't know how much of all of this I should tell him.”

Mac smiled. “Your father has an information network that would make the CIA weep with envy. I'm guessing he pretty much knows everything.”

“That doesn't mean he won't ask questions. I told him some stuff, but not all of it. You know how he is. All that gentle understanding wrapped around some serious probing. I doubt we'll be out of the airport parking lot before I start spilling my guts to him.”

“Is that so bad?”

She lifted her head and smiled at him. “Not really. I guess I'm more upset about Bev than him.”

He'd heard about their fight. “Have you tried to make things right with her?”

“She doesn't want to talk to me. As soon as my dad heads back to Florida, I'm going to move out. That will make things easier for everyone.”

He rubbed her back and wished he could offer to let her move in with him. Only two things stood in his way. Make that three. If he lost Emily, he wasn't going to be fit company for anyone. If he didn't lose Emily, he couldn't issue the invitation. Last, but equally important, Jill wasn't going to be around that much longer.

“Won't you be moving to San Diego soon?”

“I thought we weren't talking about that,” she said.

“We have to. It's a great job. You should take it.”

“Trying to get rid of me so quickly?”

“No. Trying to say the right thing. It's everything you want. Isn't that what you told me?”

“I guess.”

“There's enthusiasm,” he said teasingly.

“I'm having a hard time getting any extra energy together right now,” she admitted. “What about you? Will you be staying here if things don't go well?”

“I haven't thought that far ahead.” Nor did he want to. Life without Em? The only thing that could make the situation worse was life without Jill.

The unexpected realization made him stiffen and swear silently. Life without Jill? They'd talked about her taking a job somewhere else, but he'd never considered the consequences. That she would leave. That she wouldn't be next door, or his friend, or as of late, his lover.

He turned to her and cupped her face in his hands, then kissed her. She responded with an eager sweetness that made him ache.

“You're really good at that,” she said when he pulled back.

He forced himself to smile. “So are you.”

Don't go
.

He wanted to speak the words, bargain with her, ex plain why it was important for her to stay. He wanted to talk about building a life, of families and love and for ever.

Sometime, when he hadn't been paying attention, he'd fallen for her.

“What on earth are you thinking?” she asked. “You have the most peculiar expression on your face.”

He shook his head. What was there to say? What could he offer? Jill hated it here. She wanted the big city and corporate law. He wanted…aside from her and his daughter, he wanted to find a place to belong. He had thought that was here. With Rudy muscling in, he wasn't so sure. The mayor had—

“I have to fight them,” he said.

“What? Who?”

“Rudy and the mayor. I'm not going to let them take over Los Lobos. Somehow I'm going to have to convince the town that they have to fight with me against Rudy and the mayor.”

“It will be an uphill battle.”

“Maybe, but after the hearing, I may have a lot of time on my hands.” Time, because Emily would be gone.

“I want to help,” she said, taking his hands in hers. “We'd make a good team.”

“You won't be here.”

She looked at him, then dropped her chin to her chest. “Let's not talk about that.”

They could avoid it, he thought, but that didn't change the truth.

 

“N
ICE WHEELS
,” William Strathern said as he slid into the passenger seat of the 545. “New?”

“Lyle's,” Jill said. “I was going to keep the car, but I don't love it and he does.”

Her father clicked his seat belt in place. “Since when do you care about what Lyle thinks? I thought he was a lying weasel rat fink dog, or some variation on that.”

“He was. Actually, he still is. But I don't want the car, and I'll get no satisfaction from driving it. I guess I could sell it, but that seems childish.”

“What happened to the plan for revenge?”

She shrugged. “I don't care anymore. I have no energy where Lyle is concerned. Marrying him was a huge mistake and now I'm fixing the problem. That makes me feel good. As for Lyle, I can't tell you how much I'm not interested in him or his life. He's buying me out of the condo, I'm getting a cash settlement for the car and fifty percent of everything else.”

“That sounds mature.”

She pulled onto the main highway that led to Los Lobos. “It is. Which is very exciting. But the big news is that I know I'm going to be fine and I have a feeling Lyle never will be. Not because of me, but because he's a complete idiot. Screwing around at work? What's up with that? It's only a matter of time until he gets caught and then what? He's not my problem anymore and I couldn't be happier.”

Her father patted her shoulder. “That's my girl. So what's new since we last spoke?”

“About four billion things.”

“That's going to be a long list.”

She smiled. “Okay, maybe only a couple of dozen. I have that job offer from a great law firm in San Diego.”

“Sounds like exactly what you're looking for,” he said.

“So you'd think. They're starting to get impatient.”

“Of course they are. You're a catch.”

The constant, unconditional support was one of the things she loved most about her father.

“I want to wait until after Mac's hearing to make a decision. They weren't happy, but they've agreed to wait.”

“When is the hearing?”

“Two days after the pier celebration. You're just in time for all kinds of fun stuff.” She tightened her fingers on the steering wheel. “Just so you know, Bev and I aren't exactly seeing eye-to-eye these days.”

“Because of Rudy.”

“Yeah. She thinks I'm wrong, I think she's an idiot.” Jill sighed. “Okay, that's harsh, but it sums up the situation. Plus Rudy keeps leaving messages for me and there's no way I want to talk to him. He's either going to try to convince me that I overreacted about him or it's going to be something about Mac. I don't want to hear either.”

“Speaking of Mac, has he found a lawyer yet?”

Jill glanced at him. She'd hoped they would get around to that. Her father might be into his sixties, but he was still an impressive man and he knew the law better than anyone she knew.

“Not one he's happy with. I sort of thought you might want to take that on.”

Her father raised his eyebrows. “I'm not sure he'd be interested.”

“Of course he would. I think you'd enjoy the challenge. It would be a change from dating age-inappropriate women.”

He chuckled. “I have no idea what you're talking about.”

“Of course not. That's why your current girlfriend is only five years older than me.”

“How did you find that out?”

“I have my ways.”

“Kelly's a lot of fun.”

“I can only imagine and no, I don't want details.”

“Good. You don't talk about my love life and I won't talk about yours. Although I will say it took you long enough.”

Jill was so stunned that she nearly drove off the road. “What?”

“You and Mac. You've been crazy about him for ages, although I'm very grateful you kept your feelings to yourself instead of acting like a complete nutcase like your friend Gracie.”

“She
was
enthusiastic about loving Riley.”

“That's one way of putting it. I was afraid I was going to have to issue a restraining order so that poor boy could finish high school in peace.”

Jill wondered what Riley would think to know that someone in town had actually thought of him as “that poor boy.” She doubted he would be amused.

Not wanting to pursue that topic, or the issue of how long she might have been interested in Mac, she re turned to the question of his legal defense.

“Are you going to take Mac on?” she asked.

Her father glanced out the side window. “I'll have to give it some serious thought.”

 

T
HE MORNING
of the pier celebration dawned bright and hot. Local motels had been booked for weeks in advance. Mac figured the beach parking lots would be full by ten. At least he had the off-site parking and bus service ready to go. Now if they could just get through the day without anything out of the ordinary happening, he would be relieved. Once this was done, he could concentrate on spending as much time with Em as possible before the preliminary hearing.

But until then, he had to deal with too many tourists, underage drinking, patrolling the beach, keeping the crowd on the pier to a manageable number so the old supports didn't give way. There was parking enforcement, the usual fights, arguments and minor medical emergencies.

“Hell of a way to make a living,” he said as he stood, grabbed his clipboard and started to step out of his office.

D.J. stopped him with a quick, “Boss, can we talk?”

Mac winced. “This isn't a good time to tell me that we're underfunded and undergunned to fight terrorists,” he said with barely concealed impatience. “Let's take it up next week.”